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Greetings from the CEO,
July is a time for fun in the sun. We hope that this is true for you and your family. We know, however, that it is not so for everyone. In Massachusetts, there are thousands of families and individuals who's ability to get out and enjoy life is limited or non-existent due to poor health, age, disability, or a lack of resources. In this month's "Program Spotlight, we talk about our "Outreach" clinics, designed to support folks who cannot come to us.
It is a good time to remind ourselves that we all have a responsibility to reach out to a friend or family member, neighbor, or even a stranger, who may not be able to take the step out to participate in a family or community event. With your support, your effort could bring some "sun" into their lives.
Enjoy the Summer!
Earl "Skip" Stuck |
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 The Family Corner
Safety in Cyberspace: Tips for Parents and Guardians
Allowing kids to go online without supervision or ground rules is like allowing them to explore a major metropolitan area by themselves. Browsing the Internet, using email, texting, social networking, posting videos and pictures, using smart phones, and online gaming are but a few examples of the world of educational, entertainment, and recreational resources that are available to all of us. But these endless possibilities also present an endless variety of potential risks. Kids need help navigating this world.
 Where Do Kids Connect? Kids go online almost anywhere. They surf the Internet and send messages from a home computer or one at a friend's home, library, or school. They connect at coffee shops and other "hotspots" using laptops and wireless connections. Internet-enabled videogame systems allow them to compete against and chat with players around the world. Wireless devices enable kids to surf the Web and exchange messages, photographs, and short videos from just about anywhere.
You can't watch your kids every minute, but you do need to use strategies to help them benefit from the Internet and avoid its potential risks. By exploring the Internet with your kids, you greatly expand its capacity as an educational tool. By providing guidance and discussion along the way, you increase kids' online skills and confidence along with their ability to avoid potential risks. And you might be surprised by what kids teach you at the same time.
Read More...to learn about the benefits and potential pitfalls of the "Cyber" world or visit an excellent website created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.NetSmartz411.org |
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Real Stories
Young people are resilient. They can endure painful and traumatic lives and still spring back. Sometimes a little assistance is required to help them find the strength that lies inside. Take Vanessa's story...
Vanessa's Story, 15 years old
Life has been anything but easy for me. I've seen things that I never thought I'd make it through. I've seen things I shouldn't have. Life isn't fair, but in the end, you're strong, and its worth it all.
My dad believed in hitting. I was brought up in fighting and yelling. What really hurt was one day a guy came up to me and my mom and brother and said we were getting evicted. My parents were getting divorced and everything kept getting worse, we had nowhere to go. I had to go with my mother and sisters to Cape Cod. Cape Cod was so different from the city. I hated it there. People didn't like me because I wasn't blond, wasn't rich, and was from the city. I was poor and depressed there. All I had was myself, so I started praying and it went away. I'm glad I had Family Support to clear up what happened.
Read more.... |
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Program Highlight
The "Outreach" Clinic
What is an "outreach" clinic? Family Continuity provides a wide range of social and mental health services to families around Massachusetts. Its mental health clinics are housed at each of its five "hub" offices in Hyannis, Lawrence, Peabody, Plymouth and Whitinsville, and also at outpost sites in Beverly and Worcester. While many clients come to our offices for services, most of the work done by our clinicians is in homes and in community settings ranging from schools to courts, to senior centers and church basements.
Family Continuity pioneered the notion that although a 45-minute office visit is very helpful for some people, for others, a disability or lack of resources can prevent them from receiving the services that can change their lives. In still other cases, the most effective work is done when clinicians can work with people in their homes and community environments, helping to process and learn from the lessons of daily life. While this kind of work is not always the easiest and least expensive way to provide services, for many, its benefit far outweighs the costs.
After all, Family Continuity's mission is "Supporting Family Success in Every Community".
To learn more about the agency's outreach work, follow this link to our website.
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Family Continuity's Mission Statement:
Supporting family success in every community by empowering people, enhancing their strengths, and creating solutions through partnerships to achieve hope, positive change and meaningful lives.
Agency Values: Family, Community, Advocacy, Leadership, and Change
Treatment Philosophy, founded on the belief that positive change is always possible:
* The most effective treatment provides a continuity of care, acknowledging that connected, relevant supportive services to clients/client families promote recovery, stability, self advocacy and permanency in the midst of changing needs.
* Therapeutic change occurs in the context of a dynamic treatment partnership between clients and helpers that is founded on choice, respect, honesty, and a shared responsibility for and participation in the development of solutions.
* Effective treatment is empowering and strength-based, recognizing that all clients possess resources for change and that change is possible when these resources are utilized.
* Creating meaningful lives starts with identifying goals and connecting that to individualized, flexible and creative treatment planning that incorporates a client's family/community relationships, culture, and context.
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